I was given a 1/1 "flake" for not completing a shop that the scheduler assigned last-minute, same day, and I did not even "confirm" the assignment.

That kind of spitefulness should not be kept a secret. If I had received a flake citation with those circumstances, I would name the company and the scheduler. I would also be protesting to a supervisor or manager at the company.

This is also a reason why it is important that if you request a shop and it is not assigned to you within what you believe is a reasonable amount of time, you go back and proactively cancel the request. Similarly if I have requested a shop that has not yet been assigned and a better opportunity comes along that I can self assign, I will take the new shop and cancel my request on the old one.

Most of the shops I have been offered ask for a confirmation: "I confirm that I have received this assignment and will perform it by the due date of 2016-11-10." Most also state something like, if they're not confirmed within a certain time frame then they're offered to someone else. No where did it say if you don't confirm then we will give you a "flake" citation.

I see the boot kissers are out making excuses again. I am sure half the supposed shoppers on this site are actually schedulers. NO, it is not OK to assign you a shop on the day it is due. That is crappy scheduling passing her incompetence on to you.

If I don't get enough a heads up to at least get my reminder email I'll do the shop if it is very convenient, otherwise the big butt at the computer desk all day with a phone earpiece in can go pound sand.

@JerryBrian wrote:

I see the boot kissers are out making excuses again. I am sure half the supposed shoppers on this site are actually schedulers.

Unless the OP or you is a scheduler, you are dead wrong. Schedulers on this board are asked to identify themselves as such in their siggy line and most do so.

I think we all agree that last minute assignment of jobs that were requested well in advance stinks. Yet this topic has been discussed many times before. Especially with some schedulers who are quick to hand out flakes and offer 'hero citations' instead of fair pay, the last minute assignments seem to be a result of their having awarded the shop to someone else and leaving other shoppers pending in case the awarded shopper cancels or fails. When I request a shop I am not requesting to be a backup shopper. There are times I request to be a backup shopper, but I do that knowingly. When a scheduler does not award a shop in a timely manner it is either being abusive of the shopper or pure sloth of the scheduler. Leaving your request open until the due date for the shop leaves you open to last minute assignment.

A last minute shop assigned by email with no verbal contact, in my opinion, is never acceptable. I certainly don't check my email when I am out and about. To get dinged for a last minute shop that was assigned without talking to me to ask if I could still do it is not acceptable. In the OP's case a confirmation was needed and the ability to do the shop was not confirmed, so we all agree the OP should not be penalized.

Schedulers have argued that getting back to them letting the know you could NOT do the shop was 'all that was needed'. That is pretty bogus when you don't even know the shop was assigned until it is too late to do it. But if I have left a request open and been given a last minute assignment, that would be the first thing I would do, even if the time for the shop had passed.

I got an email telling me that my report was DUE and I had never signed up for the shop. It is an MSC that I do not work for because of the low fees and the picky editors. Just out of curiosity I checked the job board to see if it was assigned. I have never done one shop for this MSC and never do car shops so I know that I had never applied. There was no assignment listed for me but the letter I got sounded like I was a flake and needed to do this horrible shop ASAP! No ......

I have also been threatened with "citations" and "shop removals" if I don't reply immediately to someone's e-mail or attend early morning training when I have already indicated that I am not available. This is the same company that gave me the "flake" for not doing a last-minute shop that I did not even confirm. Honestly, I feel that engaging in high school threats is very unprofessional. I have done hundreds of shops and provide useable reports and I do my very best to communicate when I am struggling with a shop. I deserve to be treated with more respect, as do all shoppers. I will probably complete the projects already assigned, but after that I may not shop for KSS anymore.

@supersavvymommy wrote:

I will probably complete the projects already assigned, but after that I may not shop for KSS anymore.

KSS is a scheduling company not a MSC so you may miss a lot of opportunities if you refuse to work with them anymore.

@JerryBrian wrote:

I see the boot kissers are out making excuses again. I am sure half the supposed shoppers on this site are actually schedulers. NO, it is not OK to assign you a shop on the day it is due. That is crappy scheduling passing her incompetence on to you.

I see we have another conspiracy theorist to the forum. BTW, I am a 126-year-old scheduler.

I see. That makes sense as the jobs on their board do give the MSC names. I think, though, in the rush of trying to get things accomplished, people (schedulers and shoppers) forget that there is an actual person on the other side of the e-mail. I don't respond well to threats, especially when I'm already working hard trying to complete their assignment. I can't produce my best work under those conditions.

supersavvy, if I were in your place, I would contact Lorri Kern, ksslorri@kernscheduling.com. The situation you described is unreasonable and I believe Lorri would correct it. Please come back and tell us how it went.

@Flash wrote:

@JerryBrian wrote:

I see the boot kissers are out making excuses again. I am sure half the supposed shoppers on this site are actually schedulers.

Unless the OP or you is a scheduler, you are dead wrong. Schedulers on this board are asked to identify themselves as such in their siggy line and most do so.

I think we all agree that last minute assignment of jobs that were requested well in advance stinks. Yet this topic has been discussed many times before. Especially with some schedulers who are quick to hand out flakes and offer 'hero citations' instead of fair pay, the last minute assignments seem to be a result of their having awarded the shop to someone else and leaving other shoppers pending in case the awarded shopper cancels or fails. When I request a shop I am not requesting to be a backup shopper. There are times I request to be a backup shopper, but I do that knowingly. When a scheduler does not award a shop in a timely manner it is either being abusive of the shopper or pure sloth of the scheduler. Leaving your request open until the due date for the shop leaves you open to last minute assignment.

A last minute shop assigned by email with no verbal contact, in my opinion, is never acceptable. I certainly don't check my email when I am out and about. To get dinged for a last minute shop that was assigned without talking to me to ask if I could still do it is not acceptable. In the OP's case a confirmation was needed and the ability to do the shop was not confirmed, so we all agree the OP should not be penalized.

Schedulers have argued that getting back to them letting the know you could NOT do the shop was 'all that was needed'. That is pretty bogus when you don't even know the shop was assigned until it is too late to do it. But if I have left a request open and been given a last minute assignment, that would be the first thing I would do, even if the time for the shop had passed.

Well, Why don't the schedulers just assigned the shop and be done with it? Why hold off for so long??

I had a misunderstanding with a scheduler. I contacted his superior and explained the situation. Before I even finished the story, she rectified the situation to my satisfaction.
You might want to try.

It is always wrong for any scheduler to hold off until the last minute to assign a shop to a shopper who has applied for the shop well in advance of the deadline and then to give a flake or other negative assignment to a shopper for not confirming and then doing the shop at the last minute. If a scheduler does wait until the deadline to assign the shop to a shopper who has applied for it well in advance of the deadline that scheduler should contact the shopper by phone and offer the shopper a reasonable bonus as compensation for the inconvenience that the scheduler has caused the shopper and should not penalize the shopper with a flake or any other citation or disciplinary action if the shopper declines to do the shop as it is the scheduler and not the shopper who screwed up. Therefore, it is the scheduler and not the shopper who deserves to be disciplined.

I have been given that designation. The scheduler had no way of knowing that I really did have massive equipment failure and could not complete certain shops. That equipment failure made other work a veritable living **** for me and other schedulers, too.
The scheduler who gave me that designation still schedules me for shops. I still respect that scheduler. Fortunately, I have new equipment now and all is well. l

I also have been given fine scores, thanks, and expressions of appreciation. All is well.

I don't think we have to have excuses if we just can't do a shop. If you have a good rapport with your schedulers and you give them plenty of time to reschedule or give your shop to someone else, so be it. We are all adults here, hard working, some with lots of experience, don't flake and are reliable. The schedulers and MSC know this about their self-signing shoppers and reliable shoppers. If you are new with these type of problems you need to handle this with the scheduler and are understanding about her/his needs also.

I could not complete an apartment shop because I could not reach the target. The scheduler gave me a "flake." The only other way to reach the target would have been to stake out the leasing office. How can I get this "flake" removed?

I was recently given a 5 on a report because it had to be returned to me "for more information." All of the information that the editor requested was already in the report, and it was very clear. I didn't make changes and in the comments told him/her that the information was in the report. I also asked if it had been read. Maybe that question got me the 5? My shops are usually 8 to 10 and I followed every guideline on this one.

@supersavvymommy wrote:

I also asked if it had been read. Maybe that question got me the 5?

I'd say it would be a good bet.

@supersavvymommy wrote:

I was recently given a 5 on a report because it had to be returned to me "for more information." All of the information that the editor requested was already in the report, and it was very clear. I didn't make changes and in the comments told him/her that the information was in the report. I also asked if it had been read. Maybe that question got me the 5? My shops are usually 8 to 10 and I followed every guideline on this one.

It is not a good idea to be snarky to your schedulers and editors. This one bit you in the arse.

My intention wasn't to be rude. I was truly baffled that I was being asked to provide information that was covered in the report and it was obviously there so thought perhaps it had been overlooked. I have to challenge the 5 because reports are graded on being done correctly, not on whether or not the scheduler or editor likes the person who wrote the report.

I'm not quite understanding the OP. They mentioned KSS. It is my understanding that KSS is only a scheduling company. I've recently done a few shops with them. The reporting and editing is always handled by the hiring MSC. I never see any scores show up in the KSS website. Do they actually have some shops of their own. I.will agree that KSS is notirious for sitting on shop requests.

I have also been told by one MSC (can't remember who it was) that once the shop is assigned to us, it is ours. It does not matter if you confirm or not. BUT, if you truly want the shop you best confirm because most MSC would pull you off without the conformation. I can think of two MSC that use this to their advantage, while setting up a MS for failure.

Once you've shopped enough, you eventally learn who these MSC are and to work around them (just as Flash has mentioned).

For our own businesses, if we request a shop we should follow through until it has either been assigned or removed from our request list. Not saying it is right. But it is the way it is and we arent going to change their practices, so we must watch out for ourselves.

I too had this experience. But, I was able to pull the last minute shop off. It is great we have this forum to learn from each other. To learn each of the MSC operate.

I have to say. It is very difficult to type a post out on your cell, without glasses on, while still maintaining your thoughts.

How many shoppers read this forum before getting out of bed every day?

@supersavvymommy wrote:

All of the information that the editor requested was already in the report, and it was very clear. I didn't make changes and in the comments told him/her that the information was in the report.

I hate it when you're asked for info you already provided, and I don't think we should be marked down because the editor "had" to contact us for more info. If the editor had read the report properly, contacting the shopper wouldn't have been necessary!

I looked again and was graded 7, not 5. But 7 is still low for a correctly performed shop, and submitted on time, when my shops for this company are usually graded 10 . I reviewed what I had written to the editor, as I save copies of all shops submitted, and my wording was professional. I just e-mailed the scheduler about the grade. I have done several hundred shops and am not usually graded lower than 9. I sometimes think that shops are graded at whim.

My comment about KSS was regarding a "flake" that a scheduler threatened to add to my account because I was unable to complete a last-minute shop that was assigned the same day.

I rescheduled the shop to a day that I was available, now will ask for the unwarranted citation to be removed.

That sounds like a very reasonable resolution. I hope they will cooperate with you.